New Cigars

Ah, autumn, when the leaves start to fall and the new cigars begin to appear on the shelves of
your favorite shop. This year's variety will cover everyone on your gift list and allow you some
fine reward smokes as well.

Several cigarmakers are celebrating anniversaries. Rocky Patel has two, including the Indian
Tabac 10th Anniversary ($6.25 to $7.50), a Nicaraguan smoke with a good touch of spice. Camacho
Cigars is set to introduce the Camacho Corojo 10th Anniversary, a box-pressed Honduran puro that
retails for $10 to $13.

If you're looking for the unusual, consider Aurora's Corojo Oscuro Barrel Aged. All of its
tobacco spends time in old rum barrels, which give the $6 to $9 Dominican smokes an earthy flavor.
Litto Gomez has another rarity, a strong cigar made with Sumatra seed grown in the Dominican
Republic, called La Flor Dominicana Small Batch No. 2 ($16). To see how two wrappers influence the
taste of a cigar, try the easygoing C.A.O. America ($6.75 to $8.50), which is made with both
Connecticut shade and broadleaf. And Felipe Gregorio has a nutty smoke called Pelo de Oro Fletcha,
made with an old Cuban seed now grown in Costa Rica. The tapered cigar retails for $10.

Some cigar companies are trying to break consumers' previous views of their brands. Many think
of Te-Amos as simply Mexican cigars, but the World Selection (around $5) gives the brand a more
rounded flavor. Drew Estates has come out with Liga Privada ($10.95), quite a change from its
infused Acid cigars. Davidoff is eschewing its traditional pale look with a dark Davidoff Limited
Edition 2007 Capa Dominicana, an $18 cigar with a Dominican wrapper. And Joya de Nicaragua will
now have a version made with Connecticut seed, which will retail for $4.55 to $6.75.

Other companies are dialing up the power, including Altadis U.S.A. Inc., which has a stronger
Romeo y Julieta called Habana Reserve ($4.50 to $6). The Oliva Serie V is a higher-octane smoke
than most of the cigarmaker's other blends. The Nicaraguan cigars are $5.50 to $8.

Alec Bradley Maxx The Vice is visually striking. The 62-ring-gauge smoke comes in a massive box
of 50 and retails for $8.50 a cigar. BAT has created gorgeous tubed versions of its Dunhill Signed
Range of cigars, which are elegant and medium bodied, and retail for up to $16.

For a gift that's certain to impress, the folks at General Cigar have unveiled Stradivarius de
los Maestros (pictured), made with 15-year-old Connecticut-shade wrappers. The three sizes retail
for up to $34 a cigar. Ashton has created a line of Nicaraguan smokes called San Cristobal, which
come from the talented hands of Jose "Pepin" Garcia, known for making Tatuajes. They're sweet and
rich, and sell for $8 to $12. And the most anticipated cigar of the season is the Padrón Serie
1926 80 Years, which has been talked about since its sneak peek at the 2006 Cigar Aficionado Big
Smoke. The Padróns hope to have the $30 cigar on sale in November.